Present aids for the blind include measuring rules which bear Braille or other tactile means for indicating the various measurements. Typically such measuring rules bear Braille and other markings at each foot and each inch to enable blind people to measure distances. In some applications for closer tolerance work such markings may be provided at each half inch or even each quarter inch. Such close tolerance marking significantly increases the cost of the rulers and causes crowding of the marks on the ruler, which makes the marks confusing and hard to use. For example, on a one-foot rule with quarter-inch markings there are at least forty-eight different marks to indicate the quarter-inch divisions from one-quarter inch through twelve inches.